Samsung is deep into its sixth generation of foldable phones and Google has already released a second Pixel Fold, while Apple, still without a folding device, may be quietly preparing to join them. An analyst's supply-chain read suggests the company's first foldables have moved into the early factory-floor stage, though which products they are remains an inference rather than a fact. In the long arc of Apple's habit of arriving late and choosing carefully, this moment is a hint, not a headline, and the world will know more only when the company itself decides to speak.
Apple's Foldable iPhone and iPad May Arrive by 2027, Per Analyst Jeff Pu
Samsung is deep into its sixth generation of foldable phones and Google has already released a second Pixel Fold, while Apple, still without a folding device, may be quietly preparing to join them. An analyst's supply-chain read suggests the company's first foldables have moved into the early factory-floor stage, though which products they are remains an inference rather than a fact. In the long arc of Apple's habit of arriving late and choosing carefully, this moment is a hint, not a headline, and the world will know more only when the company itself decides to speak.
Samsung is now on its sixth generation of the Galaxy Z Fold, and Google has shipped a second Pixel Fold. Apple, by contrast, has no folding device on the market at all. A new analyst note suggests that could eventually change.
Jeff Pu of GF Securities, whose note was picked up by MacRumors, says Apple's first two folding products have entered New Product Introduction at Foxconn, the stage where a design begins moving toward the factory floor. He suggests early prototyping could start as soon as April, with mass production in the second half of 2026. Pu does not name the devices. The assumption that they are a foldable iPhone and a foldable iPad comes from other reports, not from his note.
Those other reports fill in some detail: a foldable iPhone with a somewhat different aspect ratio and possibly an 8-inch inner display, and a foldable iPad reaching as large as 19 inches unfolded, far beyond the current 13-inch iPad Air and iPad Pro.
Apple has often been late to a category and sometimes skips it altogether, so a delayed entry would not be out of character. If the timeline holds, a launch could come in late 2026 or early 2027, but that is a projection built on one analyst's estimate. Apple has confirmed nothing. The story is best held as a credible signal for now, with the April prototyping date as the next marker to watch.
Samsung is on its sixth generation of the Galaxy Z Fold. Google has shipped a second Pixel Fold. Apple, meanwhile, has no folding device on the market at all, and a new analyst note suggests that may eventually change.
The note comes from Jeff Pu of GF Securities and was picked up by MacRumors. Pu says Apple's first two folding products have recently entered what's called New Product Introduction at Foxconn, the stage where a design starts moving toward the factory floor. He suggests early prototyping could begin as soon as April, with mass production following in the second half of 2026.
Pu did not say what the two devices are. The assumption, based on other reports, is that they are a foldable iPhone and a foldable iPad. Nothing in the note itself spells that out, so the identification remains an inference.
The rumor mill has filled in some detail. Recent reports about the foldable iPhone point to an aspect ratio somewhat different from the folding phones already available, and possibly an 8-inch inner display. The foldable iPad is rumored to reach up to 19 inches when unfolded. That would be well beyond the current iPad Air and iPad Pro, both of which top out at 13 inches.
Being late is not unusual for Apple. The company often brings features and designs to market after its competitors, and sometimes skips them entirely. It has never shipped an under-display fingerprint sensor, for example.
If Pu's timeline holds and mass production begins in the second half of 2026, the two devices could be announced in the second half of 2026 or in early 2027. That is a projection layered on an analyst's estimate, not a schedule.
Apple has confirmed nothing. The note is one analyst's reading of the supply chain, and the display sizes come from separate rumors rather than from Pu. Until there is firmer evidence that these devices are actually entering production, the story is best treated as a credible signal rather than an announcement. The next marker to watch is whether prototyping begins in April, as Pu predicts.
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